Has Dhoni bid farewell to IPL?

CHENNAI: Chennai Super Kings's IPL 2024 campaign ended in heartbreak, losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Chinnaswamy Stadium. What is making the ardent fans of the Chennai team more anxious is another question: Was this MS Dhoni's final match?

As chatteratti ponder over the end of an era, questions arise surrounding the iconic cricketer's future following the team's playoff exit.

Rewind a year ago, it looked like a perfectly scripted fairytale finish for Dhoni to call it quits after Ravindra Jadeja smashed 10 runs in the last two balls to win the cup in the final against Gujarat Titans. Many believed Dhoni would make the announcement soon after having finished his league career on a high - winning the fifth title.

But he wanted to play one more season as a return gift for the fans who showered him with love all around the nation in every venue he played in the IPL.

But even as his mind stayed sharp, the body was showing the effect of the years of hardwork. Despite undergoing knee surgery last year, the 42-year-old was battling the injury throughout the season. Videos of him limping after the game against MI went viral. Eric Simmons, CSK’s bowling consultant, admitted that Dhoni has been struggling with the injury but has bravely battled through it, not showing any signs of pain.

Realising the limitations that the injury has placed on him, Dhoni batted further down the order, where he had a fantastic season. He scored 161 runs in the 11 innings he played, at a staggering strike rate of 220.55. He played a crucial role in CSK defeating their archrivals Mumbai Indians, smashing 20 runs in the final over by Hardik Pandya, which was the winning margin in the end.

Even in the decider match against RCB, it looked like he had the situation under control. The 12th ball he faced was hit with such power that it was a 110-metre six, and he was batting at 25 from just 12 balls. But Yash Dayal’s next ball, a slowish delivery angling towards off, done him in. It ended the playoff dreams of CSK, Dhoni and the fans alike.

The morning after, the fans are comparing the match to the India vs New Zealand game in the 2019 World Cup, when Dhoni was seen distressed and sad after getting out. And the same happened in this game when he was frustrated and punched his bat as he walked back to the dugout.

Suddenly, Chinnaswamy looked similar to Old Trafford back in 2019, when the same Dhoni and Jadeja were on the field, keeping hopes alive for the Indian team. And even this time, both were up against Lockie Ferguson when they needed 30-odd runs in two overs.

But Dhoni is not one of those players who makes big announcements. He would like to keep it simple, just like how he announced his international career retirement out of the blue on August 15, 2020, in a famous Instagram post, or how he quietly handed over his captaincy reins to Ruturaj Gaikwad before this season.

However, Dhoni's hardcore fans are expecting to see a happy ending for themselves and ‘Thala’ Dhoni and are hoping that they will get a “definitely not” message from him. They want him to end his T20 career on a high, at Chepauk, amid the yellow sea.

Just like he wanted. Maybe next year.